Hyper-connectEd: Filling the vacuum by switching from blow to suck

Increasingly academic and student activity occurs outwith the institution. Web browser advances enabled by the inclusion of new standards such as HTML5 and improved connectivity make the ‘as a service’ offering available to users increasingly attractive. Consequently research, teaching and learning is more often occurring outside of institutional systems. This phenomenon is actively embraced by learning theories such as connectivism and many see it as an opportunity to engage with communities enhancing the institution’s position in society. There are also threats to consider and mitigate against. Web services can close or change terms of service resulting in the loss of material and access to metrics.

This presentation highlights several approaches being adopted by organisations which acknowledge and embrace hyper-connectedness. This includes the work of the University of Mary Washington ‘domain of ones own’ which provides all staff and student with access to a personal cyberinfrastructure by giving them access to personal web-hosting and server access; and experiments from the Association for Learning Technology in aggregating, displaying and analysing community activity on third party sites.